Betty Kenward; British Society Columnist

Betty Kenward, whose society column “Jennifer’s Diary” was a must-read for the English upper classes for nearly half a century, has died at the age of 94.

She died last Wednesday, her family said.

Kenward’s column--known for its discretion, flattery and unusual style of punctuation--got its start in the Tatler magazine in the 1940s, later moving to Queen and finally, Harpers & Queen. Kenward retired in 1991.

“In tone it was somewhat suggestive of the ramblings of a retired nanny obsessed with ‘Society,’ ” the Daily Telegraph’s obituary said.

Kenward, who always wore a pearl choker necklace and a velvet bow in her hair, won entrance into Britain’s most exclusive parties for more than four decades--primarily because of her refusal to criticize anyone in print.

“She attended more weddings, balls, social events, royal occasions, [horse] race meetings and cocktail parties than anyone else in history,” her publisher, Terry Mansfield, said.

Kenward was born July 14, 1906, into a well-connected family. She attended finishing school in Brussels, and married Peter Kenward in 1932.

The couple had one son and divorced 10 years later.

Kenward stumbled onto her career. She was persuaded by a friend to submit her account of a children’s party to Tatler magazine in 1942. Two years later, Kenward joined the staff.

The column’s name, “Jennifer’s Diary,” was suggested by an editor who told Kenward that she looked like a Jennifer.

Kenward breezed in and out of social events throughout the country and the world. She never brought a tape recorder or notebook, instead relying on her memory. Her column was primarily a chronicle of the event and who was present; the names of royalty were granted a special distinction and always separated from others by commas or semicolons. While Kenward was privy to intimate secrets and scandals, she never revealed them in print.

Kenward was strict with those who worked for her, including the photographers assigned to the functions. According to the Daily Telegraph, photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones once approached Kenward at an event only to be angrily told: “My photographers never speak to me at parties.”

A year later, Kenward was horrified when Armstrong-Jones became engaged to Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II. And, according to the newspaper, Kenward refused for years to mention his name--now the Earl of Snowdon--in her columns.

Her reports held “a secret code full of prejudices, careful omissions and damning phrases which only the keen student of her column could ever hope to comprehend,” the Daily Telegraph said.

In 1986, Kenward was awarded an MBE, or Member of the Order of the British Empire.

She is survived by her son, Jim Kenward, of Ottawa.